Let's assume that you own a business, and one day a customer makes a post on an online review web site that is less than flattering. What do you do? Follow along with me as I share one of the best examples of 'What NOT to do to manage an online reputation' as I've ever seen (so far).

A customer went into Boners BBQ for a meal with her family. Apparantly her meal wasn't up to her standards as she posted a review on the popular review web site Yelp. This is a screen shot of her review below.

As you can well imagine, no business likes a negative review, and we all care about how our businesses are preceived in the public eye, or do we?

For some businesses, its part of their Schtick to Brand to be 'irreverent' or 'controversial'. They have decent quality, good service, confidence enough to stand up for themselves, or their entire marketing premise is built around their 'attitude'.

As an example, there is this restaurant that my wife and I discovered on one of our visits to Chicago called Dick's Last Resort. Dick's deploys some interesting marketing techniques with tongue in cheek shirts that say 'They have Hooters, We have Dick's'. Even their Facebook page takes a few steps 'out there'. But, even for all of Dick's poking fun and being sort of confrontational, thankfully Dick's does have some limits.

Not so much for Boners BBQ. Boners crossed the line. Boners read the review on Yelp, then posted a reply on the Boners BBQ Facebook page. See the screenshot of what Boners posted below.

'Yelp that bitch'?! What was Boners thinking?

So, the issue escalates. Stephanie S. makes a post on Digg.

And so it goes, both sides escalating.

So, WHO is winning here? Remember, this is a public forum where anyone can see these exchanges. I have to hand it to StephaniS. for sticking to the high ground. She did not resort to profanity, she stuck to her story. Public opinion swung behind Stephanie S. as it should, because as we all know, the customer is always right. Eventually, as more and more voices were raised supporting Stephanie S. Boners BBQ saw the error of their ways, and apologized.

The customer is never wrong, even when they are wrong. Getting into a fight with a customer is ALWAYS a battle you (the business person) are always going to lose. The customer, even when made whole, does NOT have to come back and purchase from you. Regardless how right you are, the customer is just as right to with hold their money and patronage.

Seems like an easy lesson to learn, doesn't it?

It would appear that there is still much for the world to learn. This is why we have an entire section in our members forum dedicated to Reputation Management, Monitoring, and Restoration.